Northern Health partnerships lead to success in recruitment

Opinion: Working closely with post-secondary institutions in B.C.

The University of Northern British Columbia has an undergraduate nursing program that will boast approximately 130 new grads in 2013.

Photograph by: ..
, www.unbc.ca

Northern Health celebrated its 10th year as a health authority last year, and we are looking forward to continuing to provide exceptional health care services for northerners into the future. Northern Health works closely with partners to recruit and retain medical professionals including doctors, nurses, and lab technologists, and we know that these relationships are crucial to our long-term success.

Northern Health is proud to work closely with post-secondary institutions in B.C. to provide medical training opportunities in the north. Examples include the medical radiography technology program and medical laboratory technologist program at the College of New Caledonia. Both of these programs have strong application numbers, and produce future skilled employees for the north.

The University of Northern British Columbia has an undergraduate nursing program that will boast approximately 130 new grads in 2013. Many of the graduates from this program work with Northern Health for practicum placements, and continue on to find great job placements with our organization after that. In addition to the regular practicum requirements, Northern Health offers the employed student nurse program, which allows nursing students to work in supervised clinical settings in various communities in northern B.C. during the summer. It helps students gain confidence in practical settings and make connections with future colleagues.

A cornerstone project for the future sustainability of health care in the north is the Northern Medical Program, delivered under the University of B.C. Faculty of Medicine in partnership with UNBC.

Of the 47 NMP students who graduated in 2008 and 2009 (the first two years), 17 are working in rural communities across Canada (13 in B.C., nine in the north).

Many are finishing their residency programs, others are on maternity leave, doing extended training or doing locums while deciding where they want to work.

Northern Health stays in contact with the students and will be actively recruiting them as they finish their residencies. Since Jan. 1, 2012, Northern Health has been able to recruit 10 members from UBC Faculty of Medicine residency programs.

Besides the training opportunities for physicians in the north, recruiting doctors and medical professionals to northern B.C. has also been successful thanks to important collaborations with communities and the current medical staff.

In 2012, Stuart Lake Hospital in Fort St. James experienced a temporary physician shortage due to unforeseen circumstances, and the community banded together to recruit physicians to the region. With extensive recruiting efforts involving the Village of Fort St. James, local First Nations, Dr. Paul Stent, family practitioner in Fort St. James, and other key stakeholders, the community went from having one full-time physician to four full-time physicians and one part-time physician in less than a year.

Physician shortages are seen globally, but having the entire community work together allowed the group to attract four physicians in a very short time. The recruitment campaign highlighted that the role of physician recruitment goes beyond just Northern Health; the entire community is needed to make these individuals feel welcomed.

In Mackenzie, a similar partnership between Northern Health, the province of B.C., and the District of Mackenzie has led to successful recruitment initiatives. In this case, Dr. James Card, a physician in Mackenzie, played a strong advocacy role in promoting the benefits of living and working in Mackenzie.

This led to the successful recruitment of Dr. Dan Penman, who was at a presentation given by Dr. Card to doctors completing their residency, and then decided to start his practice in Mackenzie.

With the expected growth in industry in northern B.C., having doctors now in the north who continue to be strong advocates will be extremely important.

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